For Women Saving the World

At a peace summit in Vancouver, the Dalai Lama made an extraordinary statement when he said that the world will be saved by the western women. This proclamation created a tsunami of responses in cyberspace. Can you imagine? The Dalai Lama saying it will be women that will save the world? As remarkable as this was to many, it was “duh” moment for me. I thought, of course, it’ll be women. We purchase 85% of the consumer goods in the United States. We can do right now by what we buy – and don’t buy. That was my “ah-ha” moment. That’s when I decided to write and speak on this topic.
Let’s look at the numbers. It is estimated that American women spend about five trillion dollars annually. That’s over half of the US GDP. We purchase everything from autos to health care. Here are some quick stats on our purchases:

by Carolyn Parrs
This is Part 2 of 3 on "How the Collective Power of Women Can Change the World"
Read Part 1
QUICKIE QUIZ #2: On April 26, 1777, who rode through the towns of New York and Connecticut warning everyone that the British were coming, and gathered enough volunteers to push back the British army the very next day? Not Paul Revere. It was Sybil Luddington who accomplished this feat at the ripe age of 16. Her ride was twice as long as Paul’s but unfortunately most of us never heard of it -- or her.
“How important it is for us to recognize and celebrate our heroes and she-roes!” says poet, Maya Angelou. How important it is for us to be invited to the table – especially now. “The fortunes of nations are inextricably tied to the fortunes of women,” says Hillary Rodham Clinton in the foreword to The International Human Rights of Women. “It is this simple: where women flourish, her families flourish. And where families flourish, communities and nations flourish. Issues affecting women and their families are not ‘soft’ issues to be relegated to the sidelines of serious debate, rather, they are among the hardest and most important issues we face.”

No sunlight. No fresh air. Enclosed in darkness to plump up in an insanely artificial way. That’s the reality for most chickens being farmed today. And if the farmers under contract with the Big Boys do not agree to raise their livestock that way, “They hold their contract over their heads,” says third generation chicken farmer, Carole Morison. She was mad as hell and just couldn’t take it anymore.

Be the Change

Stories from our community on being the change we need in the world.

[caption id="attachment_3365" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Susan Collins, a senator from Maine, started the group that led to the eventual reopening of the government"][/caption]

The government shutdown is finally over — at least until the next time the budget clock runs out. It seems that a lot of stubbornness made that mess. According to reports from Capital Hill, it seems that the women in the Senate were the ones that cleaned it up. They were willing to go across party lines to reach a solution. An article in Huffpost Women illuminates the situation.

It’s funny how starting with a simple idea to make little things can grow to where it bumps up against big things.

When I see something like the recent controversy over the US Olympic team uniforms made overseas, I compare it to my experience with my company, Teres Kids. I started my company to make the world’s most comfortable children’s clothing.

The clearest path to super comfortable clothes led to organic cotton, then to made in America, then to superior quality, incredible durability, and – Presto! – outstanding consumer value.

I truly believe the reason my work has been so successful is because it’s infused with my passion for life – passion born from a place of deep compassion, for all creatures and our beautiful Mother Earth. My collectors can feel this and have expressed how deeply inspired they are by the love built into every design and how good it feels to wear jewelry and support a company that celebrates life, by honoring ethical practice and raising awareness.

My interest in the environment developed from a childhood spent mostly outdoors. Countless hours riding my horse bareback deep into the wooded hills near my home – never failed to return me to my souls essence. Nature was my altar as much then, as it is today. It’s the place where I can hear and feel my heart’s wisdom; not only does it inspire my creativity, but anchors it. My relationship with animals is no different. They are so pure, present and without judgment – I always feel relaxed in their company, like I can really be myself and love without constraint.

When you love something unconditionally, it is natural to want to do anything in your power to protect it. My real work as an artist is to spread compassion and bring awareness to the suffering innocent, and the abusive practices that are detrimentally impacting our Earth. As a business owner and entrepreneur, I feel a responsibility to affect positive change in my immediate environment – and on a global level. Implementing ethical practice in business requires a lot of research, attention to detail, and in many cases extra expense – but I wouldn’t have it any other way. I get to stand behind (and in front of) a company that brings more beauty into the world, while helping eliminate what is not so beautiful. My dedication to this level of integrity has also created amazing opportunities to collaborate with bigger companies making a powerful impact socially and environmentally.

In the middle of the meeting on a controversial financial proposal, “Jane” has a flash of insight into a problem. She looks at the men and women around the table as she enthusiastically elaborates on what she believes to be an important point that can bridge the conversation.

Congratulations to Woman Of Green Esmerelda Kent who is a recipient of Eileen Fisher’s 7th Annual Business Grant Program for Woman Entrepreneurs. Esmerelda’s business, KINKARACO created the first burial shroud for environmental purpose to be used without a casket in 2005. The shroud debuted on the HBO series “Six Feet Under” on the green burial episode which buried Nate Fisher (no relation to Eileen).

While seemingly every New York Times article about green products since the start of the recession has followed the same tired pattern (people say they want environmentally friendly products but never as much as they want to save a dollar twenty-five,) a few of the recent Green Blog pieces have unearthed some telling, and surprising, quotations.

Manufacturers who have long aligned themselves with environmental causes, like Seventh Generation and Method, have rebounded better from the recession than the “green” lines of larger, more traditional manufacturers

This Saturday there will be a great opportunity to listen in to two inspiring leaders talk about how women can most effectively transform themselves and the world. You can listen in from anywhere.. and call-ins are welcome!

We love Treehugger. They’ve got tools to get informed, interact and take action. To celebrate Earth Day they’ve interviewed some real powerhouses to ask them, if they were in charge.. what would they fix first? These are our favorites:

Joan Blades is the President and Co-founder of MomsRising.org, a five-year-old organization that champions core motherhood and family issues. A million members strong, MomsRising works to support policies that help with family economic security like health care, paid maternity, family and sick leave, fair pay, early learning, and flexible work. One of the big issues that MomsRising takes on in a big way is toxins in our homes. In my interview with her, we talk about BPA in our canned goods (and ultimately in our blood stream) and flame retardants in our furniture (another toxic fabrication from the Big 3 chemical companies).

Majora Carter is one of the most powerful and inspiring environmental justice activists of the 21st century. If you haven’t heard her speak about her “Greening the Ghetto” project, listen up, it’s an incredible model that will hopefully be replicated in neighborhoods across the nation.

Greenpeace has been tenacious with trying to get Facebook to ditch coal as a power source for its data centers. Starting with their own Facebook page to show the company how many of its users would like it to “unfriend” coal, the activist group then moved on to set a world record in the comments section.

Johanna Blakely studies the impact of mass media on culture. She asks questions like “what happens to media when women are the main consumers of social media networks?” Is this the end of traditional demographics for advertising? What do you think?